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itutrd mes aient (attimi LoUIsE F. SHAW-or 'NnWirdum(y n' Lettersy Patent No. 96,275,1Iatcd October 26, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making pa'rt of the same;

To all whom it may concern.- t

Be itv known' that I, LOUISE F. SHAW, of the city and State of New ,York,have invented, made, and applied to use a new and useful Improvement in Imitation Human Hair; and I do hereby declare the lfollowing-to bc a full, clear, and exact description thereof', and of the features that distinguish the same from other devices that have preceded it.

l have represented, in the accompanying drawing, a portion of a braid of this imitation hair, as illustrative of my invention.

It is well known that the trade in human hair is enormous, and that the high price that the same commands, has induced unscrupulous persons to resort to measures for obtaining the same, that are detrimental to public health and morals. i

A1n many` instances the hair is cut ofi' the heads of the most loathsome and degraded women, and, not'- withstandiug the vermin and eggs of the same, is cured and worked up into curls, switches, braids, and other head-ornaments for the most wealthy and reined; and, iurthermore, it is -wcll known to the trade thatlarge quantities ot' hair are constantly putiuto the market that have been taken from the bodies of dead persons, that have been disinterred simply to obtain the hair, and-this fact is frequentlyl'denionstrated fron the roots ot'- the' hair remaining upon them as they have been pulled ont ot' .the putrid, decaying ilesh of the dead. The hair obtained in this `manner is always diseased, and no subsequent curing can make the hair as good as that cnt froln a living person, and diseases ofthe hair and scalp are frequently the result of wearing the false hail' obtained as aforesaid. v

Inorder to form an imitation hair that could be worn as a head-oruament, by persons not having suiiicient natural hair, rrasses and silk have been employed. The grasses, however, are not adapted to use, because they cannot be combed, brushed, curled, or platcd similarly to the lnnnan hair, t.l1erefore, these materials, when once made up, have to vremain in that forni; and, so tar as the use of silk, the same is expensive, the singlc threads are too tine to imitate human hair, and, in any other form, they' cannot b combed or brushed, because they` become entangled; hence, the only forms in which silk could be applied' havebeen as a woven net or surface to'a grass or f gether.

otlier braid or plait, or else in a crimped or wavy form that does not resemble human hair.

To overcome the objectionable features `hereinbeforer enumerated, isV the object of this invention, and the same consists in the employment ot' tine glazed threads, prepared, as hereafter set forth, in imitation of human hair, the same being so glazed and prepared as to be'capable of bengcombed, brushed, twisted, or braided, a's an imitation human hair for a head-dress. These threads, being eutir] y free from odor, and from any objectionable or detrimental properties, can be employed with perfect safety, and the. expense is comparatively small.

The thread employed by me is prepared in the following manner:

A iiue strong thread is selected, similar to sewingthread or cotton, I prefer and use thecotton-*thread It is dyed ofthe required color, and, while in the hank or singly, the thread is subjected to the glazing-operation, consistingof singing oti the project-ing tibres, sizing, brushing,stretching, and drying, so that the thread is brought to a smooth glossy surface, and the tendency to twist and. become entangled entirelydone away with.

'Ihe thread prepared in this manner is formed into banks or switches of the desired length by braiding the same together, or weaving it at the one end of said switch, so as to firmly unite the threads tosmall quantity of glycerine to make them pliable and .resemble human hair.

The switches or lengt-hs made in this manner are" easily'combed or brushed, and braided or otherwise prepared as ahead-dress, and form a good imit' tion of human hair, that is both cheap and easily aried' from time to time in the style of putting up, similarly to the human hair. A

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters vPatent, is 'e The head-dress, prepared from twisted glazed thread, treated with glycerine, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature, this 28th day of June, A. D. 1869. 'Witnessesz LOUISE F. SHAW.

GHAs. H. SMITH, Geo. T. PINCKNEY.

The threads are still further prepared by a 

